Tom Hardy helps four abandoned puppies find new homes

Tom Hardy's large following on Instagram aided the rehoming of four weeks old Stafford Bull Terrier puppies.

Tom Hardy has helped four Staffordshire Bull Terrier puppies find homes after they were found abandoned in a London park.

The 'Dunkirk' actor shared a photo of the adorable young canines on his Instagram account and pleaded with his 520,000 followers to go and check them out, and his worked paid off as they have since found new owners.

Alongside the picture of the pups, he wrote: ''New Staffies found and brought to Battersea this am in a box found in park. Look at them. I want to house them all 8 weeks old. Go see them xxx (sic)''

Battersea Dogs And Cats Home later revealed that the phone would not stop ringing with calls from potential new owners for the dogs, and when they are old enough they'll each be heading to new homes.

They added to the photo-sharing site: ''Found abandoned in a box in London's Victoria Park, these 7-week-old, Staffie puppies were brought straight to Battersea. Luckily they all have homes lined up as soon as they're old enough (sic)''

Without the 40-year-old star's help, the puppies could have ended up dying from hypothermia or dehydration.

Intake Manager Steve Craddock said: ''These puppies had a lucky escape. The whole experience must have been very frightening for them. It was a cold day and they could have easily got hypothermia, suffocated or died of dehydration.

''Fortunately, they were found in time and - after a drink, a sleep and some TLC - made a full recovery, and now they're charging about enjoying life with playful puppy enthusiasm.''

Tom has a huge soft spot for animals and was left devastated last year, when his his beloved pet pooch Woody - whom he rescued from a roadside whilst filming 2012's 'Lawless' - passed away aged six after a six-month battle with muscle disorder polymyositis.